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The other problem I had with OP back in 83, apart from the goofiness, was that Moore was looking decidedly older around the chops than he had in FYEO, and with a fresh-faced Harrison Ford looking to show an old dog some new tricks, he was also looking sadly out-of-date. The Battle of the Bonds? Nah, OP came out a good 7 months before NSNA, so had the clear advantage. Add to the fact that rumours were circulating that Connery's Bond movie was a hot mess due to the actor suing the producers and being dissatisfied with the results, it eventually filtered over into the B.O. takings.
Had Mr. Broccoli shown the same ruthlessness that his daughter had shown to Brosnan in 2004, then FYEO in 1981 should've been the turning point of a new and revitalised Bond series with a new actor in the lead. After all, Brosnan was still incredibly popular and the problems had nothing to do with the leading man during his tenure. And there's the rub. Sometimes a complete change of actor in the lead role is necessary to show the audience that they're going in a completely different direction. FYEO was a poor attempt at that because they kept the same actor as before, even though they were making noises about it being a back-to-basics Bond. It backfired as the B.O. takings were down on their previous MR. The downward slide would continue with OP and AVTAK, making it even harder to win their lost audience back.
I know some are nostalgic and sentimental when looking back at some of the Moore Bonds, but I'm less so due to the fact that I was old enough to remember the Connery and Lazenby's Bonds when they were actually good movies—and because I didn't like the lampooning years, I'm more pragmatic when it comes to the later Moore years.
I never understood if they were serious with Brolin or just calling Moore's bluff.
Duran Duran actually approached Cubby after All Time High and asked if Eon was ready for a real title song.
I actually don't mind All Time High but it's in the lower tier of theme songs.
And yes, I'm totally aware that Roger Taylor approached Cubby at a Hollywood party after OP and asked him when was he going to get someone good to do a Bond song. My own point was that they should have been looking at performers with more worldwide clout that weren't middle-of-the-road artists. Cubby even stated that he wanted Laura Branigan (Power of Love and Gloria fame) to sing the title song. Still not a great choice but far better than Coolidge IMHO.
That's as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs.
I think OP perfectly fit Moore's Bond. Yes I get the gripes (not all) that people have with this film. But it was a Bond film of the times. A film of the times. Could you get away with a lot of it now. Never!
But watching Bond films is sometimes like watching a time capsule. The attitudes, the clothes, the music, the styles.
I don't think many actors would've fit into OP as well as Rog did. Maybe Brosnan could've played it, he has a similar ability to add humour and danger together.
It's an enjoyable ride.
But I still cannot figure out if Moore should've quit after OP or FYEO...
Brolin’s American Bond screen test was awful. What was Cubby thinking????
And I have zero nostalgia or sentimentalism for his era as I wasn't even alive, so no bias from me on that front.
Having said that, OP is one of my favorites for sure, despite some flaws.
I also find it odd that Cubby had criticized George MacDonald Fraser's early draft, where Bond dressed as a gorilla and later, a clown, to then include it in the final movie. Yet he did discard Fraser's idea for the opening sequence, featuring a motorbike chase set at the Isle of Man TT. I'd rather he kept that and jettisoned the clown idea, personally.
If I had rose colored glasses for any era, it would have to be the Brosnan era. But GE still holds up for me, whereas I've been able to see how flawed TWINE is years later.
I think this is all relative anyway and not as black and white as you make it, because my father has been following Bond since Dr. No in the 60's, and he's not a big fan of the Craig era at all, despite still enjoying the movies.
That is certainly an opinion...
I'm only talking from my own perspective as a Bond fan since Lazenby's Bond to present day, and how I felt about an ageing Bond coming back for more of the same. Clearly Moore didn't care that much about the script, just a case of how many extra noughts were on his paycheck. It's also pretty evident it's the same one they gave to Brolin, judging by the screen tests available and the photos on-set with Vijay.
Of course, it's fine that you liked OP as a fully grown adult. Some here prefer the cheesy self-parody Bonds to the more serious Bonds. I like my Bond when the humour is dry and not wet, and we're not laughing at Bond but with him. I also prefer a younger Bond. Ideally early thirties to mid-forties. OP felt like a Peter Rogers production, written by Talbot Rothwell and directed by Gerald Thomas rather than a Peter Hunt, Guy Hamilton or Terence Young style of Bond. That's not to say there's not good things in OP. I like Louis Jourdan as Kamal Khan, Kabir Bedi as Gobinda, and David & Tony Meyer as the Twins. There's also some great stunt work in this movie. It just sucks that Cubby hadn't retired Moore and found a younger Bond to replace him before this one. And no, I thought Brolin and all of Cubby's other candidates for OP were horrendous, too. But I honestly don't think he was trying that hard.
I've been into Bond since I was a kid, with the Brosnan movies and the videogames. Then I moved into the older ones, but I hadn't gotten into the Moore era until recently.
Since Bond is a generational thing, I think all eras have a degree of nostalgia and sentimentalism for the people who grew up with them. Which is why I'm not sure why it is brought up as a negative sometimes, but it is what it is.
So basically, you were only into the Brosnan movies as a kid, plus the videogames, and your interest stopped about there until you got older. What about Connery? Was he also on your not-too-bothered list as a child, or did you explore his earlier movies with more enthusiasm? Just curious.
Same for the old SW movies.
It was only until like seven years ago that I started getting into old films more, and subsequently the old SW and JB movies. Octopussy I only watched from start to finish for the first time recently. My top five unranked would probably include TB, GE, CR, OHMSS, and TSWLM.
I DO think that a stronger female lead could have improved the film though as I'm not too fond of Maud Adams in this.
And I for one agree with him.
Yes, and that was why they wisely brought Maud Adams back again for a lead role. It certainly paid off in my opinion.
Her character remains the only Bond girl to have a film named after her and deservedly do in her case.
Indeed. She'll be a tough act to follow should a future Bond film also share the name with its female lead Bond girl.
Just not a PG-13 one! :))
PUSSY GALORE 13?
The Goldfinger spin-off film series hits number 13. Appropriately the same number as Octopussy in the official Bond series!
Yes, and that scene always reminds me of how the new Blofeld first appears in John Gardner's For Special Services (1982). It may even have been an influence?
She really does! One of many good scenes that one.